Articles & Books on Mindsets
As a teacher, I want to help prepare my students for the real world. In the real world they will need to have a growth mindset in order to succeed and overcome obstacles. Sometimes students have a "fixed mindset" that they are an A student, and at times don't want to do the work that it takes to be an A student (homework and studying definitely isn't as fun as watching TV or hanging out with friends!). They believe that they have always been successful, therefore, they will always be successful.
While that is a great mindset to have, in each student's life there will come a point where they will
meet an academic obstacle. When that happens they need to be able to overcome
their fixed mindset and do the work necessary to succeed. At times this can be
uncomfortable for the student (and parents, too!). A student with a fixed
mindset is often more worried about looking smart and not making mistakes and
thinks that struggling is a sign that they are "dumb" or incapable of
completing the work. Research
has proven that empowering students with a growth mindset increases test
scores, student investment and enjoyment of school (Aronson et. al., 2002; Good et al.,
2003).
My goal as an educator is to help my students become as successful
as they possibly can. Success encompasses more than just a letter grade; it
includes the ability to persevere through difficulties and learn from mistakes. Intelligence is fluid, it is always changing and growing. Sometimes the process of becoming a better student and individual comes with growing pains!
